Steven Seagal’s Training Helped Anderson Silva Beat Vitor Belfort

Steven Seagal is much more than just a badass Hollywood actor. People joke about the tough guy roles he stars in and patronize a lot of his cheesy movies, but UFC 126 proved Seagal is not someone you would want to mess around with in a dark alley — or anywhere for that matter. Don’t believe me? Just ask any of the countless fighters who have had their noggins cranked in by middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

If you were watching the fights on Saturday night, you probably laughed and were a little surprised to see Seagal standing in the front row wearing a nice set of yellow-tinted glasses. Those of us who are aware of his impressive background in martial arts immediately found ourselves wondering if Seagal was part of The Spider’s entourage. It turns out he’s more than that.

When Silva knocked out Vitor Belfort with one of the best front kicks you’ll ever see on Saturday night, he was quick to give all the credit to Seagal. In his post-fight press conference, Anderson said through his translator that Seagal “helped (him) perfect that kick,” which was one they had spent a lot of time working on in training. How great is that?

Last time I checked, Chuck Norris wasn’t responsible for helping one of the best MMA fighters in the world defend his title. Chuck may get all the credit and have all the quips written about him, but it looks like we need to start recognizing Seagal as the most hardcore badass in Hollywood.